February 27, 1909. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
133 
he Amateur’s Greenhouse. 
Gay House. 
A really gay house now greets the eye and 
iply rewards the flower-loving amateur 
r the trouble he has taken to bring the 
rious plants to perfection, especially if 
e house be a warm one. Azaleas, Camel- 
rs, Cinerarias, Cyclamen, Primulas and 
ch-like favourites may be supplemented 
■ Lilies of the Valley and its near relative 
flygonatum multiflorum or Solomon’s Seal, 
li'ch is a really first-rate plant for forcing. 
potted at intervals the various bulbous 
ants, Tulips, Hyacinths, Narcissi, etc., 
.11 be providing a fine succession of bloom 
r cutting or decoration for some time to 
me, besides rendering the greenhouse al- 
ivs interesting. 
The season, owing to the hard weather we 
,ve lately experienced,- is perhaps somewhat 
ckward, such conditions naturally retard- 
g the plants, and it is not a good plan to 
ice them on too rapidly in opposition to 
ture. Where large specimen Fuchsias, 
•tunias or Pelargoniums are necessary or 
sired, the most promising should now be 
.ected and given a liberal shift on. They 
11 then make fresh growth, and very large 
ints will be procured before flowering 
.nmences. 
agrant “ Cheery Pie.” 
This is everyone’s favourite, and the old 
ints, if properly treated, will now be 
ilding plenty of cuttings. They should 
struck in sand and leaf mould in equal 
antities; indeed, some growers use the 
rmer only, and the young plants when 
irly rooted should be potted off, great care 
ing taken not to break the tender rootlets, 
ter this they may be gradually transferred 
cooler quarters. 
Old plants that have had the shelter of a 
irm house may now be repotted if neces- 
ry, of course using a stiffer compost than 
: the cuttings. Two-thirds fibrous loam 
one-third of old manure and sand will 
it them admirably, and abundance of their 
liciously-scented blossom should result in 
5 course of about eight or ten weeks, 
alea indica. 
As these beautiful flowers expand, the 
raying or syringing of the plants should 
ise, or the dainty blossoms will be spoilt, 
;y therefore require greater care in water- 
g. If allowed to become really dry the 
;ults will be disastrous, but at the same 
re it must be remembered that excess of 
'usture is almost, if not quite as bad, and 
; amateur should endeavour to strike the 
ppy medium. 
Dne most important point in the culture of 
aleas is that the soil should slope slightly 
vards the rim of the pot, leaving the base 
the topmost roots almost bare. This is 
ne in order that the water may not sink 
around the stem of the plant, for it is 
peculiarity of Azaleas that if this is al- 
ved to happen they almost invariably 
rish. 
utilons as Pillar-Plants. 
Many amateurs utilise these fine plants 
r -h for greenhouse decoration and summer 
mting outside, but few seem to be aware 
iat fine pillar-plants some varieties make 
carefully trained in the conservatory, 
tey do not jrun away like manj r of the in- 
or climbers, and if the upper and side 
lots .are not tied in too closely, they will 
3op naturally in a most graceful manner, 
;ir somewhat curious pendant blossoms 
ding greatly to the effect. Cuttings from 
1 plants will strike readily now in pots 
itaining in equal parts loam, leaf mould, 
it and sand, and, if a genial temperature 
about 65 degs. is maintained, will soon 
ke really handsome young plants. 
Some of the best varieties for this work 
are Boule de Neige, with its beautiful white 
flowers, Canary Bird, whose name denotes 
its colour, and Rosaeflorum, a fine old sal¬ 
mon-pink, whilst some of those whose chief 
charm lays in their variegated foliage may 
be utilised for the same purpose with pleas¬ 
ing results. 
Tomatoa. 
Seeds for raising a crop of Tomatos for 
open air use may yet be sown, as well as 
batches for indoor purposes, and the young 
plants resulting from a previous sowing, as 
advised last month, should be potted off 
singfy when they are large enough into small 
sixties. Insert them somewhat deeply into 
the new soil, nearly up to the first pair of 
leaves in fact, and for a compost mix to¬ 
gether one part each of leaf mould and 
coarse silver sand, adding afterwards three 
times its bulk of good sound loam. Remove 
them by degrees when potted from their 
warm quarters to a cooler position near the 
glass, in order to discourage any tendency 
to run up long-jointed and straggling. Keep 
the atmosphere about them fairly- moist, 
though not stagnant, and by carefully turn¬ 
ing one out of its pot occasionally, ascertain 
when repotting is necessary, as they must 
upon no account be allowed to become pot- 
bound. 
Propagating Lobelias. 
Nearly every amateur who possesses a 
greenhouse raises his own stock of this most 
useful edging plant, thereby saving the ex¬ 
pense of purchasing each spring. If more 
are required they may still be obtained, either 
by sowing seeds in pans of light soil, which 
should be placed in gentle heat, or by tak¬ 
ing more cuttings. Lobelia seedlings are al¬ 
ways an unknown quantity, however, and 
where a good strain is already to hand, it 
is better to pinch out the leading shoots of 
autumn-struck cuttings, and dib them in 
about two inches apart, in boxes of leaf- 
soil and sand. The tiniest portion will grow 
and the plants from which they were taken 
will become more bushy as a consequence. 
G. A. F. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
Lycastes. 
Every amateur’s collection should include 
representations of this genus, nearly the 
whole of the species and hybrids being of 
easy culture and noted for their free-flower¬ 
ing characteristics.. They are by no means 
popular with present-day Orchid specialists, 
and as they are fairly plentiful they are pro¬ 
curable at a reasonable outlay, well within 
the means of all in possession of an Orchid 
house. The}'' are to be particularly recom¬ 
mended to the beginner in Orchid culture, 
as there are no kinds of Orchids likely to 
give greater satisfaction. They require’ but 
little heat, the warm end of an Odonto- 
glossum or cool house suiting them well ; 
but the conditions of the intermediate house, 
where a temperature of about 55 to 58 degrees 
are maintained as normal conditions 
throughout the year, are, in my opinion, 
the best under which to grow them. I con¬ 
sider that the usual conditions of atmo¬ 
spheric moisture necessary to the successful 
cultivation of Odontoglossums are not bene¬ 
ficial to Lycastes during the winter months 
of the year. They are in practically all 
cases spring-flowering Orchids and are not 
only useful for cut flower and decorative 
purposes, but are exceedingly durable, and 
in the case of L. Skinnerii the flowers last 
for several weeks in perfection. They are 
also summer-growing plants, so that they 
have the full advantage of the sun’s power 
to assist them in making and maturing their 
growth, a point which I always consider 
advantageous from the amateur’s standpoint. 
Orchids that make their growth in summer 
are rarely so difficult to manage as those that 
do so in autumn and winter. 
Potting- Requirements. 
These are well-drained pots or pans, the 
potting compost, consisting of about equal 
portions of fibrous .peat, turfy loam and 
chopped sphagnum jnoss; a small portion 
of partly-decayed Oak or Beech leaves may 
be added with sufficient silver sand and 
broken crocks to render the whole porous. 
The best time to repot is when the new roots 
make their appearance from the base of the 
advancing growth, but it is not desirable 
to repot annually. If the potting compost 
is in good condition and the plant does not 
require more pot room, the removal of the 
decayed sphagnum and the surface material 
and replacing it with good compost is all 
that will be required. 
Imported plants are always the best. 
1 hese may be potted up as soon as received, 
using as small pots as the size of the plant 
permits. Give very little root moisture until 
the plant begins to grow and root action 
commences. The moisture requirements of 
fresh-potted plants also must be governed 
-by the growth and development of the roots, 
but as soon as the plants become thoroughly 
re-established, they require liberal watering 
until growth is completed. 
Towards autumn the dormant season is en¬ 
tered upon, and only sufficient root moisture 
is then necessary to retain the pseudo-bulbs 
in a normal state. About November the 
flowers commence to show, which expand 
usually about the end of January and later, 
but the season of flowering will be varied 
according to the conditions under which the 
plants are grown. 
The most suitable species to grow are L. 
Skinnerii in its remarkably varied forms, 
from the purest white to deep rosy-purple, 
L. aromatica, with small yellow flowers, L. 
Deppei, a remarkabl}' free-flowering kind, 
L. macrophylla (plana) and the intermediate 
forms. There are also several- hybrids that 
are worthy of every consideration. 
H. J. Chapman. 
-- 
Highland H.S. 
Mr. William Smith, C.A., 4, Lombard 
Street, Inverness, informs us that the next 
show of the Highland Horticultural So¬ 
ciety, of which he is secretary and trea¬ 
surer, will be held at the Market Hall, In¬ 
verness, on August 28th. 
French Gardening. 
Lecturing on the subject of “French 
Gardening” at the Royal Horticultural 
Hall, Mr. C. D. M’Kay said he was 
grieved that a few people, who would not 
make a success of anything, had been 
lured by the golden prospects held out to 
thqm by some of the Press into embarking 
their little all in an attempt to secure, 
from the outlay of £100 to ^200, the com¬ 
paratively enormous income of ^400 or 
^500 a year. He was also sorry to see 
that the public were being asked to sub¬ 
scribe to large ventures of that descrip¬ 
tion. He did not think that French gar¬ 
dening on a huge scale was to be advo¬ 
cated. The culture was suited for small 
gardens of one to two acres only, as they 
required the unremitting and assiduous 
care of the proprietor himself. The seeds 
were a most important factor, but they 
were not everything-, the way the plants 
were cultivated being the prime factor. 
He most strongly urged those who wished 
to go in for French gardening to have a 
French expert. It was the cheapest in 
the end. 
